GES Supports Ground-Breaking Engineering Event

26th
November 2018

School children from across Mid and East Antrim Borough Council have been inspired by the local business world with displays of some of the most advanced
engineering and manufacturing technologies at an event in Ballymena.

4C UR Future, an event that was held as part of Mid and East Antrim’s Enterprise Fortnight, saw some of the most exciting companies from across the borough
open their doors to the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs at Northern Regional College’s Ballymena campus. The event aimed to highlight
future career pathways and opportunities available to the students within Mid and East Antrim’s manufacturing and engineering sector.

Over 150 school children from Ballymena Academy, St. Patrick’s College, Carrickfergus Grammar and Larne High School took part in action-packed workshops,
enabling them to: experience typical engineering roles; speak with staff from local businesses; and experience a range of interactive exhibits including
virtual reality welding headsets, drones, generators and a full-scale Wrightbus.

“The 4C UR Future event truly is a ground-breaking event for the borough and has proven to be an outstanding success. The school children have had a taste
of the brilliant things that are going on in the companies on their doorstep.

“The manufacturing and engineering sectors are extremely important to Mid and East Antrim. By showcasing the variety of paths available to our young people
within these industries, we are helping keep the sector a vibrant and forward-thinking one to establish and develop a career in. This is one such initiative
to help grow the sector to become bigger and even better than ever.”

The pilot initiative stemmed from the companies and stakeholders involved in the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Manufacturing Task Force, an initiative
set up earlier this year which aims to rejuvenate the manufacturing sector within the borough.

Rose Mary Stalker, Chair of the Manufacturing Task Force, said:

“We knew we needed to take steps to change the perception of engineering and manufacturing locally. This pilot has been designed to inform and inspire
young people to pursue a career within the sector.

“This inspirational event has seen the Council, Northern Regional College and a range of businesses across the sector collaborating together. Mid and East
Antrim’s manufacturing and engineering industries are looking ahead to the wide variety of opportunities that the future holds.”

“By working with our friends and stakeholders on the Manufacturing Task Force, ambitious events like this are a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase
the collaborative partnerships that exist between the College and local industry. These successful partnerships are key to improving our students’
employ-ability and career prospects.”

David Moore, Managing Director of GES Group, said:

“There are plenty of career paths available to our young people. Looking at what opportunities the Fourth Industrial Revolution has to bring, the excitement
of that in its own right is outstanding. We need more people to step into that space within the manufacturing and engineering sector.”